| Obama's EPA Pick Could Foil Future of Keystone Pipeline |
| Mar-04-2013 |
| Keywords: obama, epa, keystone pipeline, state department |
President Obama on Monday chose EPA veteran Gina McCarthy as his nominee to run the environmental wing of his administration.
McCarthy led the Office of Air and Radiation, and in that role oversaw regulations that some say cost jobs in the domestic energy industry.
Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, said in a statement.
"Throughout her career McCarthy has implemented policies that attempt to constrain the use of reliable energy sources. ... It appears the president is rewarding these efforts by increasing her ability to implement an ideological and political agenda. If confirmed as EPA administrator, McCarthy will continue the regulatory attack on oil, coal and natural gas with the result that Americans will experience increasing energy costs and high unemployment rates."
McCarthy was one of three cabinet nominees announced by Obama, but her's could face the stiffest fight with senators on Capitol Hill.
All will have to undergo Senate confirmation. And McCarthy -- given her background and the controversial nature of the agency she wants to lead -- could face the toughest screening.
"Throughout her career McCarthy has implemented policies that attempt to constrain the use of reliable energy sources. ... It appears the president is rewarding these efforts by increasing her ability to implement an ideological and political agenda. If confirmed as EPA administrator, McCarthy will continue the regulatory attack on oil, coal and natural gas with the result that Americans will experience increasing energy costs and high unemployment rates."
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said the nomination makes clear that Obama "wants to continue pursuing an aggressive climate agenda at EPA."
Obama described McCarthy as someone who could balance smart environmental regulation and economic growth.
"She has earned a reputation as a straight-shooter," Obama said Monday. "I'm confident that she is going to do an outstanding job."
Perhaps one of her first jobs will be to weigh in on the incomplete Keystone Pipeline.
The State Department on Friday issued a draft report on the pipeline, stating that it had no major objections to the completion of the oil pipeline, and that other options to get the oil from Canada to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries are worse for climate change.
With that hurdle cleared, it will be largely left to Obama and his EPA as to whether no the pipeline is completed. The President finds himself caught between labor unions, who support the pipeline, and the estimated 16,000 jobs it would create, and his backers from the environmental base who are steadfast opponents of fossil fuels.
An editorial on WSJ.com come perfectly summarizes the situation once you strip away the politics, and focus on the nation's long-term energy needs.
"The larger issue is whether the U.S. wants to continue to be considered a serious economic nation with rising living standards and a modern energy supply. If Mr. Obama turns down Keystone XL, the Chinese will be laughing at us as they buy Canadian oil and build their economic power, while America adapts to the Sierra Club's preferred future of the world as Walden Pond."
Read the entire editorial regarding Obama's choice on the Keystone Pipeline on WSJ.com |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 2:00 PM Email to a friend |
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